Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-03-31
ARTIFICIAL ,NcusAr,oM.

Il
ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION.
- Few Hints IN Regard to tn. Propss
| Management Of Ineuhstos..
Some Of your readers want to know
about operating incubators and brood
ers. l have several years experience
! with both and can give few hints,
! perhaps, in regard to them. Before
operating an incubator people should
read and inform themselves on the sub
ject of artificial incubation. These es-
sential points are necessary in artificial
Matching. One is the right temperar
trre. which is lO4 degrees. An incu-
bator must vary good deal to initiate
a hen during sitting. The heat of eggs
under hens varies from 80 to 10 de-
| grees. An incubator that will not vary
more than one or two degrees day
should not be run at lOS degrees; if it
varies more. say four degrees day.
los would not be too high. Eggs vary
very much il temperature under hens.
Those directly under hens body are
! very much warmer than those outside,
and they get quite cool sometimes. but
the hen will roll the outside eggs under
| her and crowd out the warmer ones.
This is one reason why an incubator
that varies considerably should be run
at little higher temperature than one
that keeps an even temperature. An.
other great point is moisture. During
the first week very little moisture is re-
quired. The proper way is to test the
water in the moisture-pan. which should
be ut 60 or 20 degrees the FIRST week.
the second week 20 to 80 degrees and
the third week 80 to 30 degrees.
Moisture prevents the evaporation Of
the contents of the egg, which hot, dry
air will cause. A hens body has u
slight perspiration, but what helps
most is that the hen oils the egg slight
~, which answers the same purpose.
and prevents the evaporation of she
contents Of the egg. A good many
wonder, in operating an incubator,
| why there are SO many dead chicks in
the eggs thai do not hatch. There are
two reasons for this; one is that per.
haps there has not been enough moist
ure during the last fourteen days. II
this is the case, the chicks will begin to
die about the 18th or 14th day in the
shell. If plenty ofmoisture is supplied
at this time it will save them. Another
reason is too much moisture ut the be-
ginning of incubation. which causes
the blood of the chick to turn to water.
They die. and if left in the incubator.
will leave a very bad smell. The
proper way is to test the water in the
moisture pan.
A man in New Jersey has invented
a moisture guage, which is made as
follows: Get round straight glass
tube from to inches long and a;
near ! of an inch as possible, and thin
glass; then take slip of white paper,
one inch wide; mark it off with black
lines exactly one-fourth of an inch
apart; eight or ten lines are enough !;
number them from up to 10 inclusive.
and paste the paper on the tube with
the lines and figures next the glass.
Now get little block of wood and
bore hole in it to tit the tube, SO it
will hold it in an upright position in
the tray of eggs. That is all there is
OF it. To use it fill the guage with
water and set it in the tray. With Il
temperature Of l02 degrees the guage
should never fall more than ! or les:
than ! of an inch in "a hours. 7 of an
inch in days, or l inch in days,
which is just right for good hatch.
If the heat goes higher than 10:
degrees, of course the water will &C
down little faster, but allowance can
be made for this. This is perfectly re.
liable. and comes as near an average
for all kinds of eggs rs it is possible to
get. If the guagc works rs above.
and good hatch is not obtained, i,
will have to be laid to something else
than moisture,
l mean that only the top inch OF the
tube is to be used. Fill up as often rs
it falls one inch; if the water is allowed
to fall over one inch it will not be
correct guide. Eggs for incubation
ought not to be over one week old ut
the most; see that the egg is of good
shape. and not pointed ut one end and
wrinklcd. The air-chamber must be in
the large end. Eggs should be tested
on the fifth day. and again on the 10th:
all infertile eggs should be removed
on the fifth day, and all added eggs
removed on the 10th day. Be sure
your thermometer rests ON an egg
with live chick in it. 1t is better &c
have two thermometers in the egg.
drawer. and to run by the average Of
the two.
A number Of years ago bought an
incubator which was regulated BY a
battery and had tin egg trays; a piece
of flannel cloth on the bottom of the
tray; no arrangement for any moisture
was made, and was very green and
did not know but that it was all right. |
If the battery had worked all right
(Which it did not do. but would stop
acting in cold night). l doubt wheth-